Lowe vs Ahmadi Predictions: Isaac’s experience the key

Isaac Lowe takes on Hasibullah Ahmadi this Saturday, May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight takes place on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk, the historic undisputed heavyweight championship clash. DAZN, Sky Sports Box Office and TNT Sports Box Office will screen the card.

Here are my Lowe vs Ahmadi predictions ahead of this featherweight clash.

Lowe is something of a fixture on Fury’s undercards, having been on the bill alongside ‘The Gypsy King’ in Las Vegas and Los Angeles on numerous occasions. Now he makes his maiden trip to Riyadh hoping to score a victory on what could be the most high-profile boxing card in a generation.

Standing in his way is Ahmadi. The 23-year-old ‘Kalashnikov’ is 16-1 with five knockouts to his name. He is a former WBC Asian featherweight champion who has fought and won as far afield as Nairobi, Accra and Bangalore. The globetrotting Afghan now looks to add Saudi Arabia to the list of nations in which he has tasted victory. 

Lowe has mixed with some of the very best the world has to offer at the lower weights. The ‘Westgate Warrior’ lost in consecutive fights to Nick Ball and Luis Alberto Lopez before their world title shots. He has also faced the best of British, going to a draw with Ryan Walsh for the domestic title and stopping Marco McCullough, the current IBF European champion.

Lowe has likely found his level now, having come up short on the world scene while continuing to be competitive in Britain and Europe. After those twin-knockouts at the hands of Ball and Lopez, the 30-year-old has steadily rebuilt. After winning three fights in a row, all six or eight-rounders, Lowe steps back into a 10-round bout.

For Ahmadi, this is the biggest test of his young career. He goes in with a fighter seven years his elder who has fought the best in the division. This fight will be a litmus test of his standing. A points loss to ‘Deadly’ Dana Coolwell in March of last year stands out. But anyone can have a bad night. It is what he does now against Isaac Lowe that will define him.

Stylistically, this could be a fascinating clash. Lowe is aggressive but in a very schooled manner. He considers his options rather than steaming in swinging. Everything works off the jab in adherence to boxing textbooks. 

Ahmadi’s style isn’t far different. He utilises less head movement than Lowe, coming in from a lower base rather than the constant movement of the Lancashire. Styles make fights and I can see these two matching up well. After some initial cagey exchanges, I could see this opening up as each man encounters something of a mirror image.

I feel that in this meeting of similar minds, Lowe will have the advantage. He has had a chance to sharpen these skills at championship level. He has fought on big stages before from Vegas to Wembley Stadium. The ‘Westgate Warrior’ knows what it takes to head to the ring on a gargantuan fight night. 

He also boxes with a bit more polish than Ahmadi. The younger man is a little more tentative in his work and just a touch more ragged. Lowe’s sharpness could cause him problems.

These problems will be enough to hand Lowe a win on the cards I reckon. The Brit is 4/7 to get a decision win here. Ahmadi can come again at the tender age of 23. But this weekend, I believe experience will trump youth.

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